In real life, we turn strangers into friends by following three conversational stages - small talk, discussing interests, and sharing feelings. In B2B content marketing, we use a similar communication style to turn prospects into customers.

Love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us again. Whether it’s with cards, flowers or chocolates, it’s the perfect time of year to pursue your crush or show your loved ones how much they mean to you. With so many articles written about how to woo that special someone in your life, we got thinking about how these tips could be applied to B2B marketing. Building relationships with your leads isn’t all that different from the relationships you build in your personal life, so what can you do to ‘woo’ your leads this Valentine’s Day?

As a B2B marketer, your job is to engage prospects, convert them to leads, qualify them, nurture them until they are sales-ready, then hand them over to sales to complete the buying process. As if this wasn’t already enough to deal with, marketers are typically judged solely on the quantity and quality of the leads they generate for sales. So, the outcome is that many marketers tend to get over zealous in their activities and try to make leads sales-ready before they actually are – ultimately scaring them off.

Centre Court at Wimbledon is noisy on match day, very noisy. Even when the ball is in play and the crowds are expected to remain silent, there are plenty of goings on to distract players from the game – flash photography, coughing, glare from a spectator’s watch.

Whether at sports day, cross country at school, or running after work, most of us can relate to the pain, sweat, and tears experienced at this year’s Virgin Money London Marathon (if you ran, please accept a virtual slap on the back from me). Yet all the while we are acutely aware that after crossing the finish line, and for quite some time after, the contestants are some of the happiest and proudest people on earth – months of training and preparation have been converted to an overwhelming feeling of accomplishment and success.

As shown previously in our B2B marketing automation infographic, the process of automating marketing operations may not be as simple as some first thought. In fact, the initial set up of a campaign in a marketing automation tool can actually be quite resource-intensive.

I recently recalled a childhood memory of being dragged along by my parents when they went to buy furniture for our house. The cavernous warehouse-style shops were filled with ‘scenes’ like living rooms and bedrooms and sometimes kitchens too. Once in this environment, my curiosity would get the better of me and I would run from one stand to the next, jumping on beds, laying on sofas and generally causing mayhem. With me otherwise engaged, my parents had the freedom to explore the items for sale in the store. However, due to its size (and the amount of products on offer), they typically drifted along an unplanned route in a trance-like state. This shopping experience meant many things caught their eye, but they rarely fully engaged, and ultimately they bought nothing.

The automation of processes generally means the loss of jobs and the dehumanisation of organisations – especially in factory settings. But, what if there was a technological solution that worked hand-in-hand with human operatives and helped to save time and money that could be re-invested into other areas of the business? Well, thankfully there is.

Unsure about whether marketing automation software is right for your business? See the infographic below to learn how the help of automated processes can improve the efficiency of your marketing at each stage of the sales funnel and, ultimately, increase business revenue.

The final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup is only days away and the entire planet is waiting with baited breath to see who wins. What will the final score be? Who will the goal scorer(s) be? You see, it’s all about that score.